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SDG 11 · Sustainable Cities and Communities

1.16 billion people live in slums and informal settlements.

Eco Heroes turns that fact into a story a 9-year-old can hold onto: The Dog that Said Woof, book 11 of 17 in the SDG Library.

Unlock all 17 books → Read SDG 1 free

The target, in plain language

What the UN actually promised

Target 11.1

By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.

Upgrading slums means bringing water, sanitation, safe building and secure homes to the neighbourhoods where people already live.

Target 11.2 asks for safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport for all. By 2025, 61.5 per cent of city dwellers had convenient access to public transport, up from 53.2 per cent in 2020.

Why it matters

The number behind the story

1.16bn
people live in slums or informal settlements About a quarter of everyone living in cities (24.8 per cent in 2024).

Source: The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026, UN DESA. Figures as published in July 2026.

The story

The Dog that Said Woof

The Dog that Said Woof, SDG 11 book cover

The Dog that Said Woof

Written by David Fernández Sifres (Premio Barco de Vapor) · Illustrated by Cecilia Varela

Book 11 of 17 in the Eco Heroes SDG Library, one illustrated story for each UN Sustainable Development Goal. Included with any Eco Heroes plan (families from €79 a year + VAT: €95.59 with 21% Spanish VAT; the VAT and the total that apply to you are shown before you pay); SDG 1 is free to try. Published in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Japanese, Korean and Chinese.

Reading guide: questions, vocabulary and activities →

Bring it into the room

Talk about it, try it

Discuss

One question to ask after reading

“What makes a street feel safe and friendly to you? And what makes it feel unsafe?”

Try it: 15 minutes

Redesign your block

Draw a map of the street around your school and add three changes that would make it better for children, older people and animals. Compare maps: which ideas show up more than once?

Watch

The short mission video

April and Karim walk through this goal in a short video, with subtitles in your language.

Transcript

Everything said in the video, in order, with the words and figures shown on screen.

Version for ages 9–12

  1. April: Cities that work for people & planet. An Eco Heroes mission.
  2. On screen: An Eco Heroes mission · Goal 11 · ages 9–12
  3. On screen: See something real
  4. April: Good places are designed, not accidental. Who decides what our town looks like?
  5. On screen: A real question is where every mission starts.
  6. On screen: Investigate the system
  7. Karim: Sustainable Cities is a system, not a headline. 55% of the world's people live in cities — rising toward 70% by 2050.
  8. On screen: 55% of the world's people live in cities — rising toward 70% by 2050. (Source: UN-Habitat, 2023)
  9. On screen: 1.1B people live in slums or informal settlements. (Source: UN-Habitat, 2023)
  10. On screen: 99% of people breathe air that exceeds WHO pollution limits. (Source: WHO, 2022)
  11. On screen: Step 4 · Meet someone who understands it
  12. Karim: 1.1 billion people live in slums or informal settlements. Ask the people who know: a town planner, a bus or bike-lane manager, a neighbourhood association.
  13. April: Your mission — My Neighbourhood Map. See your area with a designer's eyes. Do: Map your area, marking what's good and what's missing.
  14. On screen: Prove: Circle 3 things you'd improve.
  15. On screen: Reflect: Who is your area hardest for — kids, elderly, disabled?
  16. April: Bring it to school.
  17. On screen: Bring it to school: Show your class what you found. One finding from each of you becomes a map of your town.
  18. April: Show your class what you found. Discuss it at home.
  19. On screen: Discuss it at home: Tell your family what you did and ask them one question about it. Information fades — questions travel.
  20. April: Tell your family what you did and ask them one question about it. Take action locally.
  21. On screen: Take action locally: Pick the one action from your mission you can do this week — and tell one person why.
  22. Karim: A true story — The Woman Who Saved the Neighbourhood. Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody.
  23. On screen: Small hands. Real problem. Real change.
  24. Karim: Jane Jacobs. 17 goals, 13 languages, one hero: your child. eco-heroes.org
  25. On screen: eco-heroes.org/game

Version for ages 13–17

  1. April: Your city is designed.
  2. On screen: An Eco Heroes mission · Goal 11 · ages 13–17
  3. On screen: Notice something real
  4. April: You can redesign it. About 1 in 4 city dwellers lives in a slum or informal settlement. Who decides what our town looks like — and who is it built for?
  5. On screen: Hard questions are where real missions start.
  6. On screen: Map the system
  7. Karim: A city is a system: housing, transport, air, green space and votes. 99 percent of the world's people live where the air does not meet WHO's air-quality
  8. On screen: 99% of people breathe air that fails WHO limits. (Source: WHO, 2024)
  9. On screen: 1.16B people live in slums or informal settlements. (Source: UN SDG Report, 2026)
  10. On screen: 45% of the world's people live in cities. (Source: UN DESA, 2025)
  11. On screen: Step 4 · Talk to someone who knows
  12. Karim: guidelines. Interview someone who knows: an urban planner, a bus driver, a housing campaigner.
  13. April: Your mission — Street Audit. Rate one street for safety, air, green space and getting around.
  14. On screen: Do: Walk one street at rush hour and log cars, bikes, trees and noise.
  15. On screen: Prove: Score it and sketch one redesign.
  16. On screen: Reflect: Who benefits from the street as it is now?
  17. April: Take it to school.
  18. On screen: Take it home: Ask your family how they get around — and what would change it.
  19. On screen: Act where you live: Send your redesign to your council's next public consultation.
  20. On screen: Real data. Real questions. Real change.
  21. April: Present your redesign and let your class vote on it. Then take it home, and act where you live.
  22. Karim: A true story. Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody. Jane Jacobs. 17 goals, 13 languages, your move. eco-heroes.org
A real example

How Medellín transformed through urban design

Medellín, Colombia was once the world's most dangerous city. Today, cable cars connect hillside slums to the city centre, libraries were built in the poorest areas, and homicide rates dropped 95%. Urban design saved lives.

Quick check

Test yourself

What percentage of the world's population lives in cities?Show the answer
  1. 25%
  2. 40%
  3. More than 55%
  4. 75%

Answer: More than 55% — More than 55% of the world's population lives in urban areas — projected to reach 70% by 2050.

Cities produce about 75% of global CO₂ emissions despite covering less than 3% of the Earth's surface.Show the answer

Answer: True — Cities are dense energy and economic hubs — making urban sustainability essential to the climate fight.

What is a 15-minute city?Show the answer
  1. A city you cross in 15 minutes
  2. A place where all daily needs are reachable within 15 minutes on foot or by bike
  3. A speed limit policy
  4. A new French city

Answer: A place where all daily needs are reachable within 15 minutes on foot or by bike — The 15-minute city concept means residents can reach work, school, shops, parks and healthcare within 15 minutes — reducing car dependency.

Go further

Lesson plan for this goal → The book in the library → An activity for this goal → Play the SDG trivia →

Seventeen goals, seventeen stories

Every SDG gets its own illustrated book, its own facts and its own activities. SDG 1 is free to try: its game chapter, trivia and video. The books and the other goals unlock with a family, school or hotel plan.

See plans →